1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an improvement in an electrical connector which has a housing, a plurality of conductive contacts arranged on the housing for coming into contact with connecting terminals provided on a flat circuit device, such as a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as an FPC) or a flexible flat cable assembly (hereinafter, referred to as an FFC) inserted in the housing, and holding means for engaging with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to hold the same and for disengaging the flat circuit device from holding by the holding meas.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
A flat circuit device, such as a relatively small-sized FPC or FFC, used in electronic apparatus of various kinds is often connected with a main solid circuit board, on which various electrical parts are directly mounted, with an electrical connector which is fixed to and connected electrically with the main solid circuit board. The electrical connector thus used has a plurality of conductive contacts, an end portion of each of which is connected electrically with a conductive circuit pattern portion formed on the main solid circuit board and which are provided for coming into contact with connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, and is operative to cause each of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit board to be connected electrically through the conductive contact with the conductive circuit pattern portion formed on the main solid circuit board.
A first type of previously proposed electrical connector used for connecting a flat circuit device, such as an FPC, with a main solid circuit board, has a housing made of insulator, which is mounted on the main solid circuit board and has an opening through which at least a part of the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing. On the housing, a plurality of conductive contacts are provided to be arranged along the opening and connected electrically with circuit terminals provided on the main solid circuit board. These conductive contacts are operative to come into contact respectively with a plurality of connecting terminals provided on a flat circuit device when the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon. The previously proposed electrical connector of the first type has also a slider which is provided to be movable to slide in regard to the housing in both of a direction along which the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon and a reverse direction along which the flat circuit device is drawn out of the housing.
The slider is moved to slide for going temporarily away from the housing previous to the insertion of the flat circuit device into the housing through the opening provided thereon and then moved again to slide for returning to the housing after the flat circuit device has been inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon. Thereby, the slider is operative to press down the flat circuit device to restrain the same under a condition in which the conductive contacts arranged on the housing are put in contact respectively with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing. With the conductive contacts arranged on the housing and put in contact respectively with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing is connected electrically with the main solid circuit board on which the housing is mounted.
A second type of previously proposed electrical connector used for connecting a flat circuit device with a main solid circuit board has a housing to be mounted on the main solid circuit board and a plurality of conductive contacts in the same manner as the previously proposed electrical connector of the first type mentioned above and in addition an actuator which is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing, but does not have a slider which is movable to slide in regard to the housing as mentioned above.
In the previously proposed electrical connector of the second type, the actuator is operative to engage with each of the conductive contacts arranged on the housing and to move an operating portion of each of the conductive contacts so that each of the conductive contacts is put in press-contact with a corresponding one of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing when the actuator is rotated in a first direction in regard to the housing and to allow the operating portion of each of the conductive contacts to move so that each of the conductive contacts is released from the press-contact with the connecting terminal when the actuator is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction in regard to the housing, or to push the flat circuit device inserted in the housing so that each of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device is put in press-contact with a corresponding one of the conductive contacts arranged on the housing when the actuator is rotated in a first direction in regard to the housing and to cease to push the flat circuit device so that each of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device is released from the press-contact with the conductive contact when the actuator is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction in regard to the housing. With the conductive contacts arranged on the housing and put in press-contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, the flat circuit device is put in electrical connection with the main solid circuit board.
In the above-mentioned previously proposed electrical connector having the slider movable to slide in regard to the housing in both of the direction along which the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon and the reverse direction along which the flat circuit device is drawn out of the housing or the actuator rotatable in regard to the housing, when the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon and the conductive contacts arranged on the housing are put in press-contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device so that the flat circuit device is put in electrical connection with the main solid circuit board, it is required to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly. It is a matter of course that it is necessary for the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to be held stably so as not to get out of the housing unwillingly in order to keep the conductive contacts arranged on the housing properly in a condition of contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device.
Accordingly, there has been also proposed previously an electrical connector belonging to the above-described first type having the housing, the conductive contact and the slider movable to slide in regard to the housing, which is provided with holding means for engaging with a flat circuit device, such as an FPC or FFC, inserted in the housing so as to hold the same to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly, as shown in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number HEI08-180940 (hereinafter, referred to as published patent document 1).
In addition, there has been further proposed previously an electrical connector belonging to the above-described second type having the housing, the conductive contact and the actuator rotatable in regard to the housing, which is provided with holding means for engaging with a flat circuit device, such as an FPC or FFC, inserted in the housing so as to hold the same to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly, as shown in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number 2004-165046 (hereinafter, referred to as published patent document 2).
In the electrical connector shown in the published patent document 1, the holding means (a locking claw 12c) is provided in a body on the housing (12) or the holding means (a locking member 30) is provided separately on the housing (22). When the flat circuit device (an FPC 50) is inserted into the housing through an opening provided thereon under a condition in which the slider (14 or 24) has been moved to slide for going temporarily away from the housing, the holding means engages with each of engaging portions (projections (50a and 50b)) provided on the flat circuit device to hold the flat circuit device. After that, when the slider is moved to slide for returning to the housing, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing with connecting terminals provided thereon, with which the conductive contacts (16 or 26) arranged on the housing are put in press-contact respectively, is pressed down to be restrained by the slider and the holding means is also restrained by the slider so as to be prevented from disengaging from each of the engaging portions provided on the flat circuit device.
Thereby, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing is kept in a condition in which the conductive contacts arranged on the housing are put in press-contact respectively with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device and held by the holding means provided in a body or separately on the housing to be put in engagement with the engaging portion of the flat circuit device so as to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly.
In the electrical connector shown in the published patent document 2, a couple of holding means (holding members 13) formed in a body of the housing (10) or a couple of holding means (holding members 51) formed separately on the housing (10) are attached respectively to end portions of the housing aligned in a direction along which the conductive contacts (terminals 30) are arranged. Each of the holding means is provided thereon with a holding portion (13A or 51A) formed in the shape of claw. When the flat circuit device (a flat conductor 40) is inserted into the housing through an opening (11) provided thereon under a condition in which the actuator (a movable member 20) which is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing takes a position at which the actuator keeps rising from the housing, the holding portion formed in the shape of claw on the holding means is put in engagement with an engaging portion (a recess 42) provided on the flat circuit device to hold the flat circuit device. After that, when the actuator is rotated from the position where the actuator keeps rising from the housing to another position where the actuator keeps lying down on the housing, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing with connecting terminals provided thereon, with which the conductive contacts (16 or 26) arranged on the housing are put in press-contact respectively, is pressed down to be restrained by the actuator.
Thereby, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing is kept in a condition in which the conductive contacts arranged on the housing are put in press-contact respectively with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device and held by the holding means provided in a body or separately on the housing to be put in engagement with the engaging portion of the flat circuit device so as to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly.
In each of the electrical connectors thus proposed previously, which is provided with the housing, the conductive contact, the slider movable to slide in regard to the housing in both of the direction along which the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon and the reverse direction along which the flat circuit device is drawn out of the housing or the actuator rotatable in regard to the housing, and the holding means for engaging with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to hold the same so that the flat circuit device is prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly, when the slider is moved to slide for returning to the housing or the actuator is placed at the position where the actuator keeps lying down on the housing under a condition in which the flat circuit device has been inserted in the housing, a portion of the electrical connector in which the holding means is put in engagement with the engaging portion of the flat circuit device is covered by the slider or the actuator so as not to be observed visually from the outside of the housing. Accordingly, it can not be confirmed by visual observation whether the holding means is appropriately put in engagement with the engaging portion of the flat circuit device to hold the flat circuit device or not.
Further, in the electrical connectors proposed previously as described above, any means for releasing the holding means attached to the housing from the engagement with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing after the holding means is put in the engagement with the flat circuit device to hold the same is not provided. When the flat circuit device inserted in the housing and once held by the holding means attached to the housing is subjected to getting away from the housing, it is necessary for drawing the flat circuit device out of the housing to exert undesirable coercive force on the flat circuit device and the holding means. This results in a fear that operation efficiency is deteriorated and at least one of the flat circuit device, the holding means and the housing is undesirably deformed or damaged.